Good friend

Posted on September 8, 2019September 8, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Eleanora street, Embarrassing, Friendship, Modesty, Nerves, Spode open days, Spode site, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent2 Comments

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I’m here at the Open studios and I keep getting tongue tied. I need to explain about my art, but for some reason I become shy, it’s like trying to display my mind to the world. Cut off the top of my head and scoop out all the swirling thoughts time…. But… My good friend came along today, she greeted people cheerfully, asked them into my studio, said how I was a good artist, (by this time my head was in my hands with embarrassment) and encouraged them to think about commissioning me to do some art for them.

I was really pleased and mortified at the same time. I think it’s that British thing if too much modesty. It’s a learned habit that makes you feel like the “I’m not worthy” characters you see on TV or in books. Do you know what I mean? I felt it was far easier to just say “hi” as people walked past.

Thank you my good friend!

Finished

Posted on August 18, 2019August 18, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Black, Blue, Eleanora st, Landscape, Painting, Spode, Spode exhibition, Spode Reflected, Spode site, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, What Spode means to me, White2 Comments

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Took all day but I finally finished this. Spent a lot of time painting the old, flaking window frame. I’m not sure the sky colour is right. I might get up early and tone it down. I’m handing it in in the morning….

It’s called Spode Reflected.

Who is he?

Posted on August 17, 2019August 17, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Design, Eleanora street, lithograph?, Plate, Pottery, Print, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, What is it?Leave a comment

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There are some windows in Spode covered in various circular prints. This one looks like a photographic negative and appears to be someone famous although I don’t know who.

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There are other patterns overlaid. This must have been a particular place for some sort of work within the factory but I’m not sure what?

Painting upside down.

Posted on August 16, 2019 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Blogging, Computer, Design, Landscape, Life, Painting, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, Work in progress5 Comments

Sometimes it’s hard to see whether something looks right in a painting. Then I try turning it upside down. It really does give you a different perspective. In the case of the painting I’m doing it also allows me to get closer to the top of the picture as I’ve got it propped up on a chair.

Eyesight is another problem. If I’m staring at my phone looking at the image it’s hard for my eyes to accommodate (called presbyopia) where the lenses in your eyes get stiffer as you get older, so they don’t focus as well.

I’m now starting to paint the cracks in the window frame paint. I may come back to the clouds (thanks Martha, a bit of finger painting helped).

I’ve rotated the photo back to the vertical on my camera so I can look at it without moving the canvas. Eventually I will turn it back the right way so I can paint the bottom half. It’s going to take a while…..

Spode patterns

Posted on August 16, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Film, Layout app, Pattern, Photos, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, TarkovskyLeave a comment

I’m working towards the exhibition at Spode and I’ve been experimenting with the photos I took a few days ago. Using the Layout app on my phone.

The thing is, I know I can’t reproduce these as paintings, so it’s good to use photographs to experiment with the images I took. There was a film by Andrei Tarkovsky I saw years ago. I think it was called Stalker, the industrial archeology of Spode reminds me of that. Almost post apocalyptic….

I’m quiet because I’m painting.

Posted on August 14, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Blue and white, Eleanora street, Landscape, Muted colours, Painting, Spode, Spode site, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, WindowLeave a comment

I’ve decided to paint this one. I like the reflections and the blues and whites which remind me of the Willow pattern colours. I’ve turned the canvas to landscape rather than portrait and I’m concentrating on the lower two thirds of the photo.

I like the photo, but I wanted to simplify what I was doing. I’m hoping to get a good representation of the clouds and I want to get the flaking paint and the other details in the reflection in the windows visible but subtle. I will try and post updates and I might take a break later to blog.

What Spode means to me.

Posted on August 13, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Art project, Eleanora street, Life, Photography, Spode, Spode site, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, what does Spode mean to me2 Comments

Series of photos taken at Spode today, 13.8.19. I will select one or more image to paint. The idea is to paint industrial archeology and also sky. Some include reflections and sights through to windows on the other side of a building. Many have clouds reflected in them….

I also did close-ups of things like hooks and taps and an old pair of rubber gloves.

Which is your favourite if any?

Got to paint,

Posted on August 12, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Canvas, Design, Painting, Planning, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, What is spodeLeave a comment

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This was me in 2007. I might be helping to paint a mural again soon, but I also need to paint a picture of what Spode means to me. I’m not sure what to paint as I never worked in the factory and only know it as it is, I was blogging about that a couple of days ago. Well today I went out and got a largish canvas about two feet by two and a half feet. I’m thinking of finding some old cracked paint or dusty glass, maybe a reflection. I will go and take photos tomorrow. I want to add some metallic glints to whatever I do. I need to make plans…..

Craft fair or artisan fair?

Posted on July 28, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #market_@_48, Art, Artisan fair, Craft fair, Design, Eleanora street, Fun, Potbank Hotel, Spode, Staffordshire, Stoke, Stoke-on trentLeave a comment

So many different talents, including lino cut printing, carved wood, making strum sticks and dulcimers.. I had my paintings and glass necklaces again. The fair was on from 11 to 4 but that didn’t include setting up and taking down so it was more like right hours.

There were some lovely kind people there and I got a lot of interest if not that many sales. The setting was inside the Potbank Hotel, which was good as it rained all day. Coming to the fair was a way of staying dry.

Artisan or craft? Probably artisan, the work was predominantly artistic and the crafts on display were of a very high standard.

Would I do it again. Yes I guess so.

Tiny paintings

Posted on July 27, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #market_@_48, Acrylic on canvas, Animals, Art, Craft fair, Design, Eleanora street, Fun, Painting, Potbank Hotel, Spode, Stoke, Stoke-on trent, Tiny paintings4 Comments

I’m playing with paintings again. The idea is to do tiny paintings that people might like but won’t cost much to have. They are about the size of a small matchbox. I’m trying to do new designs. There are giraffes and butterflies, an owl and a skull. Hearts, a panda and I’m trying to paint a little sailing boat.

Well I’d better get on as they need finishing by the morning.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Stoke